PC Cooling Science Project

My two-penneth worth on this one.

It is true that current flows more easily at lower temperatures, so a "normal" electronic circuit will operate faster the lower the temp drops.

However, as some have said above, a CPU is "clocked", so it's NOT a normal circuit, it is already artificially regulated.

What will happen with your experiment is unclear though. In theory as you load the processor it will get warmer, which will slow it down. Except the "throttling" of it is probably already slowing it's potential down to a speed below what it will encounter as it warms up. There will be a critical temperature that is reached where you would see it slow down, but your system is (hopefully) checked to ensure this (very high) temperature is never reached - i.e. your PC will turn itself off as a safety feature before your CPU fries its own brain.

So what everyone says is true - running a like for like system at two different temperatures, you won't see anything (unless you run so hot that one will fail). However as you cool the processor you get the ability to speed it up (overclock) WITHOUT getting to the critical temperature that causes it to fail. (Interestingly the same amount of energy is generated, you just get rid of it more efficiently).

On the flip side, I don't think this breaks your school project - you can still do it and prove that this is the case. And if you quote anything from the above, I won't even charge a royalty.

Any updates on this project ?

Yes, kinda, within the next month I'll be getting everything set up and completing the experiment. I have to spend about $200 on alkl the stuff I'll need, that is why it hasnt been done yet. I will post results as soon as I finish....

My only suggestion would be to incorporate overclocking into your experiment. Benchmark your performance stats with no cooling - "stock" and 1 or 2 "overclocked" settings. Then, run the "stock" and "overclocked" settings with 1 type of "standard" cooling (if there is a standard or basic type of cooling), and then maybe another, more robust type of cooling. The other thing to consider is the load you have on the CPU in each test, and making sure it is exactly the same in each one. You should also verify the temp of each cooling method and the room temp as well for each test, and ensure they are both uniform - otherwise those variables will leave you open for innacuracies. That's my 2 cents, and I'm very interested in seeing how this goes...

Any updates ?

my 2 penneth worth.

I have to agree with with a lot of what has been said, however, this does not mean the experiment will be a failure, even with just the original outlook.

For example, if the stock cooling temp is just that bit higher than it should be, then you should see the difference in the benchmarks.

However, this difference, in my opinion, is not going to be huge, and will not necessarily create a successfull experiment.

I would highly recomend pushing the CPU to its limits. I would suggest that "throttling" be removed for the sake of the experiment, if you feel this is safe. As this would leave it entirley to the processor.

I would also suggest, in addition to the overclocking of the CPU, underclocking it a little, maybe see how cold you can get the CPU by adjusting the clock speed rather than the cooling (and then maybe with the cooling). Maybe that is a few too many options.

But I would definately try to see if the better cooling makes any diff at stock speeds (shouldn't do, but you never know).

However, I strongly recomend you attempt to overclock the CPU to its maximum under every cooling scenario. IMO, only this way will we see how much temperature bears an influence on processing power.

Don't know much about superconducters though, be careful, and good luck.